Posts tagged ‘protein’

A perfect little bowl of comfort for those winter weeks where getting out of bed is a feat. This is going to be my lunch for the week and it was perfect to relax to this weekend while Sex and the City was playing in the background. A little alone time can be really refreshing. This is one of those bowls that is easy to make a big batch of for lunches throughout the week and is a perfect balance of carbs, protein, healthy fats (we are going to top with some avocado) and greens. This dish reminds me of a macrobiotic bowl and has many of the components of one.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice, cooked in broth if you want more flavor (I used veggie)

Saute your tofu cut into cubes and mushrooms in a pan on medium heat. Season with red pepper flakes if desired and garlic. Cook until garlic is transculent and mushrooms are browned, and tofu is crisped on sides. Mix mixture with brown rice and lentils. Top with freshly cracked black pepper, soy sauce and baby spinach leaves. Top with avocado for some great heart healthy fats!

xx

Reth

P.S. This lunch or dinner reheats excellently and has even more flavor the longer it sits in the fridge so I have been making a huge batch and then taking a cup or two cups to work each day and topping it with fresh greens and avocado.

This can be a beautiful, simple breakfast or brunch, dinner, or lunch. I love eggs. I love how they make just about anything a meal. This is best served on unevenly sliced, imperfectly perfect slices of sourdough or a nice, hearty artisan loaf. Since this dish is baked, it is easy to serve a large crowd (brunch party anyone?). This recipe will serve four people or two very hungry people.

Ingredients

4 slices sourdough bread, or artisan loaf of your choice (this dish would work with any kind of sliced bread)

4 eggs

4 slices of thinly sliced gruyere or any choice of choice (but the flavors of this combination are spectacular)

1 tablespoon of chopped scallions

Black pepper, as desired

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan or dish, spray with PAM or cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s but butter or olive oil would also work). Layer the sliced bread on the pan and top with the cheese and one egg per slice of bread. Let the toasts bake for 15-20 minutes until the whites are cooked and the yolk is baked to perfection (which means nice and runny to me but feel free to cook it to your liking). The eggs can also be poached and then placed on the toasts but I haven’t figured out the prettiest poaching method yet!

Make sure ale is washed and dried, chopped into small bite size pieces with the tough ribs removed (they make for great juices so just freeze them). In a bowl, toss with balsamic and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Massage the dressing into the leaves. Top with chicken, nectarines, pine nuts and cheese and toss. The salad marinates i the dressing and has great flavor after 10 hours of sitting in the fridge, A great make a night ahead for work the next morning kind of salad.

I say it all the time. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only possible to optimize your health on a plant-based diet; when done right, I actually recommend it.

But where do you get your protein?

I field this question constantly. Despite deeply ingrained but misleading conventional wisdom, the truth is that you can survive without meat, eggs and dairy. Believe it or not, you can actually thrive, and never suffer a protein deficiency. Because no matter how active your lifestyle, a well-rounded whole food plant-based diet provides more than enough protein to satisfy the body’s needs without all the artery-clogging saturated fats that dominate the typical American diet.

I speak from experience. As a vegan endurance athlete, I place a high tax on my body. And yet my plant-based diet has fueled me for years without any negative impact on building lean muscle mass or recovery. In fact, at age 45 I continue to improve and am as fit, healthy, and strong as I have ever been.

Here’s a list of my top-7 plant-based foods high in protein:

1. Quinoa: 11g Protein / Cup

A grain like seed, quinoa is a high protein alternative to rice or pasta, served alone or over vegetables and greens. It provides a good base for a veggie burger and is also a fantastic breakfast cereal when served cold with almond or coconut milk and berries.

2. Lentils: 17.9g Protein / Cup

Delicious, nutritious and super easy to prepare. Trader Joe’s sells them pre-cooked and I’m not afraid to just eat them cold right out of the package for lunch or a snack on the run.

3. Tempeh: 24g Protein / 4 Ounces

A fermented soybean-based food, tempeh is a healthy protein-packed alternative to it’s non-fermented cousin tofu. It makes for a great veggie burger and doubles as a tasty meat alternative to meatballs in pasta, or over brown rice and vegetables.

4. Seitan: 24g Protein / 4 Ounces

An excellent substitute for beef, fish and soy products, one serving provides about 25% of your RDA of protein. But not for those with gluten sensitivities, as it is made from wheat gluten.

5. Beans (Black, Kidney, Mung, Pinto): 12-15g Protein / Cup

I love beans. Great on a veggie burrito, in chili and soups, on salads or over rice with vegetables, beans of all varieties are a daily staple of my diet.

6. Spirulina: 6g Protein / 10 grams

A blue-green algae, spirulina is a highly bioavailable complete protein containing all essential amino acids. At 60% protein (the highest of any natural food), it’s a plant-based protein powerhouse that finds it way into my Vitamix blends daily.

7. Hemp Seeds: 16g Protein / 3 Tbsp

With a perfect ration of omega-6 and omega-3 EFA’s, hemp seeds are another bioavailable complete protein rivaled only by spirulina. A simple and great addition to a multitude of dishes, from breakfast cereal to salads to smoothies to vegetables and rice.

This is hands down one of my favorite breakfast smoothies, I have had it for the last three days. I think I saw a pin on Pinterest about how good blueberries and pineapples are together and I had to try it for myself. This is delicious! The coconut water adds a great, refreshing taste and the color is a pretty indigo.

Ingredients

1 cup baby spinach leaves

2 pineapple rings (I used canned because it’s easier and I like the juice)